Stress-evoked changes in circuits that regulate serotonin in certain parts of the brain can precipitate a low mood and a relapse of cocaine-seeking, based on mouse studies.
If you thought that prescription drug abuse would just go away quietly, think again. This time, prescription drug abuse is making its rounds by targeting students too. According to a recent article published in the Miami Herald, four middle school students are recovering after suspected prescription drug abuse put them in the hospital. The article goes on to state:
A Volusia County schools spokeswoman says a New Smyrna Beach Middle School teacher sent the four eighth-grade students to a clinic Monday morning. The teacher thought the students were behaving oddly.
According to the local police department, deputies discovered that one of the students was sharing prescription drug medications with a friend at school. The friend then turned around and gave some of the drugs to two other students. It just goes to show you how incredibly dangerous prescription medications can be. While certain medications are intended to help people recover from various ailments and illnesses, they are not intended to be shared with other people who may have adverse reactions.
The hard lessons that these students have had to learn is a difficult one, indeed. There are too many people who are prescribed medication and abuse it in ways that only have adverse effects on their lives as well as the lives of those around them who love and care for them. People need to realize (parents especially), that they need to be role models to children. Keep medications out of reach, and talk to children about the dangers of drug abuse. Encourage them in positive ways to feel comfortable discussing any difficult issues that they may have with you so that this type of abuse may be prevented in the future.
A genetic study has examined the association between a polymorphism of the µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene and alcohol misuse among adolescents. Results suggest that teens who carry the G allele (A118G) of the OPRM1 gene are at increased risk for alcohol problems because they experience alcohol as more pleasurable or rewarding than teens without A118G.
Your genetic make up may predispose you to drink more but may not increase your genetic risk for alcoholism. New research pinpoints genetic pathways and genes associated with levels of alcohol consumption but not with alcohol dependence in rats and humans.
Two new studies illustrate just how hard it is to make sure people take their HIV medication. One study looked at the effects of drinking alcohol on adherence and showed the risk for non-adherence was double among drinkers compared to abstainers.
Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a new study.
According to a recent news article posted on the Wiltonvillager.com, Harvard Medical School Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Edward Khantzian and Cambridge Health Alliance Director of Addictions Treatment Dr. Mark Albanese will be discussing treatment strategies for drug abuse among youth as part of a day-long conference at Western Connecticut State University on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. The topic of discussion will focus on substance abuse and drug and alcohol addiction among adolescents and young adults.
Often, when people think of drug and alcohol abuse, they think of adult males over the age of 18. However, disturbing numbers of adolescents and other members of the youth are just beginning to or have already previously dabbled in drug and alcohol use/abuse or experimentation. For some of these adolescents, they have had a high price to pay with drug overdoses or DWIs that resulted in their death or the death and injury of other people around them.
If we are ever to really put a stop to drug and alcohol abuse by minors, something needs to be done now. Many critics are quick to blame parents for not stepping it up and speaking to their kids about the inherent dangers that drug and alcohol use involve. However, this is not always the case. It is the hope of those putting together the aforementioned lecture that the lecutre will provide more successful approaches as well as ideas on how to curb drug and alcohol use by minors.
Brain pleasure centers became progressively less responsive in rats fed a diet of high-fat, high-calorie food, a new study has found. As the changes occurred, the rats developed compulsive overeating habits — and became obese. The overeating continued even when it meant the rats had to endure an unpleasant consequence (a mild foot shock) in order to consume the food.
Exercise can help smokers quit because it makes cigarettes less attractive. A new study shows for the first time that exercise can lessen the power of cigarettes and smoking-related images to grab the attention of smokers.
The following are a brief list of the 12 Spiritual Laws of Consent.
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